One Step From Heaven
by Drifting Warrior
Summary: Sakura and Naruto are flying up to the gates of heaven, when, one step from heaven, they find Sasuke. Sakura and Naruto abandon their journey to help Sasuke keep from falling down to the fiery depths.


AN: Oddly enough, I was inspired to write this by a book that my little sister checked out of the library. It's called "One Step from Heaven" by An Na. I didn't read it…it was just the title that stuck in my head. One Step…from Heaven.  
Oh, and um, this isn't really a religious fic…  
And, after reading it over, I realize that some readers might be insulted by what I chose to portray angels as. I'm sorry. Really. It's just that I wanted Sakura to sort of have a little girl's imagination of what angels look like. Oh, and if the whole 'blond' thing gets you, I'm really, really, reaaaaallllly sorry. I have no preference for hair color. If it makes you people feel any better, I have liked a blond, a brunette, a redhead/coppery color, and 2 Asians. So there.

"Here," she had said, handing me a pair of ruffled looking things that somewhat resembled wings.

I took them from her, and just stood there, looking at them. These things were wings? What was I suppose to do with them? Why…Why aren't they on the back of an angel instead of being held by me, sagging onto the floor?

She sighed, a kids-these-days sigh, and bent down to take back the newly given present. Her blond hair twirled in the wind, and she was wearing white, and sure, there were a pair of wings sprouting from her shoulder blades, but she looked nothing like what angels were _suppose_ to look like.

The dress she was wearing was cut so low that I was scared that 'they' were going to spill out whenever she made a sudden movement. Her hair was blond, but it was dirty blond, and the wind didn't make it flow; rather, only served to tangle it even more. And it was in two low _pigtails. _Seriously! What kind of angel wore their hair in pigtails? On her head was a strange little mark, diamond shaped, a funny purple. Maybe she was an angel after all, and this was only her disguise.

"Clip these things on to your back. Try to put them on the shoulder blade thingys…"

Okay. Maybe she wasn't an angel after all.

I took them back from her and tried to hoist them up my back and 'clip them on' or whatever. Note the key word: _tried_. Tried, but failed. Hey, you know what they say. At least I _tried_.

She grabbed them back, a slight vein pulsing in her temple.

"You put them on like _this_." She started to demonstrate again, but apparently decided against it, 'cause her arms dropped back down.

"Um…" I muttered, unsure. This woman was a trifle short tempered…

"Arrrggg. You know what? I'm putting them on," she grouched. And with that, she promptly spun me around so that my back was facing her, and slapped them on, like one might slap a dead fish onto a cutting board.

The fog swirling around us started to clear, and not far to the right stood another pair, angel and…well, I didn't exactly know what I was. Spirit?

The angel-women followed my gaze, and started waving and shouting in that direction. "Oi, Jariya! You got one too?"

A quick nod and a thumbs-up served as a reply. Then, without warning, he shoved the blond boy standing next to him in our direction after giving him a brief pat.

Were all angels like this? Surely not!

He stumbled over awkwardly, dusty wings dragging behind him before dishing out an enthusiastic beam to each of us. I could count his teeth, but for some reason, I liked him.

No, not like that! I meant that I like him in, you know, a friendly manner. Or, the same way that I like mango ice cream. I mean, how could I like him? Don't get me wrong here; there was nothing wrong with him or anything…but I'd just met him! I have my values, people.

"Hey, nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand, expecting me to shake it. So I did.

"Sakura."

"Sakura-chan! Well, I'm Naruto Uzamaki! You can call me Naruto-kun," he replied with what normally would have been considered way too much enthusiasm. But it fit him, somehow, along with his orange clothes and full-of-teeth grin.

"Naruto-kun. So…are you, well, like me? Spirit things?"

"I think. Yeah. Sasuke-teme should be here too."

"Who?"

"Just someone I know."


End file.
